Combination fishing lure and bottle opener



May 15, 1951 R. P. SCHIFFMANN 2,553,149

COMBINATION FISHING LURE AND BOTTLE OPENER Filed May 18, 1948 INVENTOR.

figg.

Patented May l5, 1,951

COMBINATION FISHING LURE AND BOTTLE OPENER Robert Paul Schiffmann, Chicago, Ill.

Application May 18, 1948, Serial No. 27,793

1 Claim. l

This invention relates to an improved fishing lure which can also be used as a bottle opener.

My improved shing lure includes an elongated spoon of arcuate cross section. A hook is attached inside of the spoon and is bent back upon itself so that the barbed end portion thereof will extend in spaced relationship to the trailing end portion of the spoon. The leading end portion of the spoon is deflected inwardly, and a Wire or Wires extend from the end of the deflected spoon portion outside and past the barbed end portion of said hook. This wire serves to prevent entanglement of the hook with weeds when the lure is pulled through the water by va fishing line attached to the'end of the deflected spoon portion. Since the wire extends in generally parallel relationship to the main portion of the spoon and in the direction in which the lure is pulled through the water, the wire will not be bent inwardly past the barbed end of the hook when the lure brushes against weeds. If the Wire had been disposed so as to extend angularly outward'from the leading end of a generally straight spoon, then, on brushing against weeds, the wire would be bent inwardly past the hook, and the hook would become en tangled with the weeds. y

' The deflected leading end portion of the spoon is arched or domed to present a concave angularly disposed surface to the water ahead of the lure when the lure is pulled through the Water whereby a rolling movement is imparted to the lure. As a consequence, a bait attached to the hook, for instance, a piece of pork rind, will perform a wavering movement.

The main portion of the spoon tapers from its trailing end. To make the spoon lighter, I form the spoon with a transverse aperture at its trailing end and provide a transverse outwardly bent tongue projecting over said aperture toward the trailing end. This tongue serves to prevent entry of weeds into the aperture when the lure is pulled through the water. Preferably, the stem of the hook extends through a small aperture in the trailing end of the spoon past the transverse aperture. To provide sufficient metal at the trailing end of the spoon and to rigidify this end, the middle portion of the trailing edge of the transverse aperture is offset into the aperture.

I have found that the above described fishing lure may be utilized as a bottle opener. More particularly, the above mentioned tongue may be placed under the edge of a bottle cap and the outside of the trailing end may be placed on top of the cap which can be pried loose from the bottle. Thus, a iisherman need not go to shore if he has brought with him one or more bottles but has forgotten to bring a bottle opener along.

It is therefore an important part of the present invention to provide an improved fishing lure which when pulled through the water will perform a rolling movement, which will not become entangled in weeds, which is characterized by light weight and which can also be used as a bottle opener.

Other and further objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and the appended claim taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing which shows, .by way of an illustrative example, a fishing lure according to the present invention. More particularly:

Figure 1 is an inside plan view of a fishing lure according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation;

Figure 3 is an outside plan view;

Figure 4 is a view of the leading end;

Figure 5 is a View of the trailing end; and

Figure 6 shows the use of the device for opening a bottle.

In the drawing, a fishing lure is shown comprising a spoon of arcuate cross section generally indicated by the reference numeral I0, a hook generally indicated at I2 and a wire indicated generally at I4 which serves as a weed guard for the hook. As shown, the spoon I2 is made up of a generally straight main portion I6 and an inwardly deflected leading end portion I8. Ihe latter is pierced at its free end by an aperture receiving a tubular rivet 20. The wire I4 has its middle portion bent around the stem of this rivet on the inside of the spoon and the inner ange of the rivet overlies the resulting loop, so that the Wire I4 is thereby attached to the free end of the deflected spoon portion. The two free portions of the wire extend backwardly from the rivet 20 in diverging relationship, past and outside of the barbed end 26 of the hook I2, as will be described in greater detail hereinbelow.

Particular attention is directed to the fact that the deliected spoon portion I8 is arched or domed so that the outer or leading surface of the deected spoon portion is concave. When the lure is pulled through the water by a line passing through the tubular rivet 2U, the concave leading surface of the deiiected spoon portion I8 receives or gathers up water Which is not easily discharged therefrom in any one directhat the barbed end 26 will extend within and spaced from the ends of the wire I4. Since this' wire extends in general parallelismjjwith vflieg main spoon portion I6 and in the direction in which the lure is pulled through ,the water,

against weeds.

The broad trailing end portion of the spo'cr'lIl?" is pierced by a generally transverse aperture 28 sefvingftoredue tneweight of"t11'e:' s`po i1;A outwardlybent transverse'tongue 30 projectsovef thefapertare 28 :from the 1eading-edge=fof the aperture'- and sei-vesY to' prevent entry offweed's` into'the aperture when the' Ilureis pulledthrough thev water.A Further, the 'middle pertio'ir of tlief trailing? aperture edgeis oiset intoY the aperture asf-"atlA 32 for rigidifying the trailing -marginlfof' thespoon and to insure` a metal w'eb of 'suiicient width around *the aperture 213. e

As shown in Figure 6 the iislflinglure'0f-this` from'a lbottle B'. For-'this purpose, theV tor-Lgriiei 30'iSr plac'e'd under 'the edge 0f the CaDfC andthe" free end -of the spoon; in particular, the' oiset apeiture'iriargir'i' 32,1is placed on toplf the cap? The vlatter can thenV easily-be 'pried off from theE bottle., i

The `arcuate cross' sectional shape i of the'spon serves to lrigi'olify' theI spoon" against thfor'c'e" exerted when the lure isused for' opeingbo'ttl'es. The hook I2 noayfbeiarched outwardlybetween the rivet 2G andtlie'aper'ture 24, top'ermit easier clearance 'of a bottle capi-projecting -tl'lrouglrv the aperture 28"('asfsh'o'wn in'Fi'giire 6) and-'also to align that portion of the hook passir'ig'ithrugl theaperture 24 `with Ythesids otsa-idapertue, foriiacilitatingth lassemblage of the lure. f

Many-'details of' construction can bel varid' Within' a' Wide l range Vvvitliiii; 'departing'frcmfA theV l5 the wire will not tend to be bent *inwardlyfpa'st the barbed hook end 26 whenthelurebrushesn principles of this invention and it is therefore not my purpose to limit the patent granted on this invention otherwise than necessitated by the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

A fishing lure comprising a spoon having a leading end adapted to be attached to a shing line and a hook attached tothe insideof said spoon,n said` holehaviniga'shankf in said spoon, ari'-ia pointed pr'tion in spaeed'relationship to the trailing end portion of said spoon, said spoon having a trailing end provided With a transverse aperture andi-atransverse tongue projecting outwaidlyiand angularly from the edge of the aperture toward said trailing end and operative to deflect/weeds away from said aperture when said linefis fpu'lledthiough the water, said tongue further being capable of being disposed under th'dg of a bottle cap with the outside of the trailing spoon end resting on top of therbottle capoi piyigthe'cap loose'from abottle'," said shank-havinga'portin in' registrationA 'with safd aperture'provided with' a'fcurve aai'ayiromthe ape'r'tuiiefor 'accommodating aA portion' of thei1 bottle cap' inserted in 'the aperture' in' the 'prying operatien.` Y j ROBERT" PAULV SCI-EFMANN.

Y REFERENCES CITED )Jfllhe following references are'of record inthe le of this patent:

UNITED STATESPATENTS" 1\Ilumtei'y Name' Date p Re; 16,536 Y ske11y'eta1.' "24; 1927' 111383115 Douglass Aug." 1, 1942i 1,418,221.;`- Budle Magfso, 19'22"'- 1,545,573 Pl'sen July 21, 1Q2'5' 1,523,715 Enklef e621. Meyv 17, 192'7 legnj Tepper Nov`22,"1932`- 1,928,367' Button/ sept.`26,193`3j 2,164,415" Muet't; Ju1y"4, 193`9` 2,235,905 Sherwood Mr. 25,v 194i FOREIGN PATENTS Nmberi Country` Date 456,444.. Great BritainVA 1937 871,155@ France :1942, 8755059 Franse- 1942" 

